Yusmeiro Petit

Like fine wine, Petit has become better -- and more valuable -- as he has advanced in age. Once primarily a starter, the right-hander has gradually blossomed after shifting to relief full time in 2015, and he posted a career-best 1.66 ERA during the condensed 2020 season. His .229 BAA and 5.7 BB% were each his highest marks since 2016, yet neither increase is cause for concern. Nor is the decrease on his fastball velocity; it dropped one tick to 88.1 MPH, but it has long been known that Petit's forté is deception and command, not heat. He gets good results by mixing up his four-pitch arsenal and throwing strikes, helping him post strong K/BB ratios despite a lack of K's. The inability to rack up strikeouts (Petit registered a 19.3 K% last season) will likely disqualify him from contending for a closer role, but his other skills should help him remain a durable, consistent high-leverage reliever.

Petit showed no signs of slowing down in his age-34 season, making a career-high 80 relief appearances -- tied for second most in the majors -- and finishing with career-best marks in ERA (2.71) and WHIP (0.81) across 83 innings. While he didn't miss a ton of bats (7.7 K/9), Petit was able to find success thanks to his elite command (1.1 BB/9) and ability to limit hard contact (34.8% hard-hit rate). The veteran did benefit from a high strand rate (81.4%) and low BABIP (.220), which is reflected in his FIP (3.59) and xFIP (4.48), though he's now out-pitched his peripherals in each of the past two seasons. Petit should see similar usage in 2020 after the A's picked up his option; while he'll benefit from pitching close to half of his games in a pitcher-friendly home park, his upside remains limited outside of leagues that count holds -- he led the team with 29 -- as long as Liam Hendriks remains closer.

Petit has now thrown at least 90 innings in back-to-back seasons with all but one appearance coming out of the bullpen. He has been an effective multi-inning reliever for both the Angels and Athletics the past two seasons, but does not have the wins to show for it like others. The ratios were there in 2018, but there were also some troubling signs for the 34-year-old reliever. His strikeout rate fell nearly eight percentage points while his FIP was nearly a full run higher than his ERA thanks to him stranding a career-high 81.8% of his baserunners. The new trend in fantasy baseball is to look for those middle relievers that will bring hidden value with vultured wins and strikeouts. Petit's usage should be similar in 2019, but beware of another step back because the advanced numbers are providing plenty of warning signs to potential buyers.

Petit has the peripherals of a guy who throws much harder than he does. It is a struggle for him to top 90 mph most days, yet he struck out over 100 batters in under 92 innings while allowing just 69 hits. Petit has made a career of being tough to pick up with 2013 being the apex of that value as a swingman for the Giants. He made just one start in 2017, but was primarily the pitcher Angels manager Mike Scioscia called upon to work multiple innings, and that helped Petit become useful in AL-only leagues. The heavy workload did not play out in his first/second half splits as the lines were nearly identical across the board. Expect Petit to have a similar role with the A's in 2018 after signing a two-year, $10 million deal in November. It's a nice fit as Petit is a heavy flyball pitcher (46.6 career flyball percentage).

The 31-year-old struggled in his lone season with the Nationals. His home run rate spiked upon leaving his former home of AT&T Park, and he turned in his highest ERA since he got back to the majors in 2012. He still possesses an effective, if not exactly dominant, four-pitch arsenal, though, with his tantalizing slow curveball remaining his best offering. Washington declined his option in the offseason, but Petit could still have value as a rubber-armed swing man if he manages to crack the Angels Opening Day bullpen.

Petit had his best season as a professional in 2014 with the Giants, and while it looks like he repeated his success last season (3.69 ERA in 2014, 3.67 ERA in 2015), he actually took a step backwards. Yes, his ERAs were nearly identical, but Petit saw his strikeout rate drop 7.0 K/9 after posting a spectacular 10.2 K/9 in 2014. He was also stranding more runners on base (78.0% LOB%) which led to a much higher 4.09 FIP. This could be why manager Bruce Bochy decided not to turn to Petit when injuries depleted the Giants' rotation last season. Petit signed a one-year deal with Washington and will likely carve out a similar long-relief role with the Nationals.

Petit spent the early portion of his career as the epitome of the difference between “control” and “command.” Control is the ability to place the ball in the zone with regularity. From 2006-2009, Petit had a fantastic 7.4% walk rate in 229 innings. Command is the ability to place the ball where you want in the zone –- paint the black, hit the corners, come in on batters without leaking it over the middle, etc. In that same four-year time period, Petit had an impossibly-high 2.0 HR/9 rate. He gave up a homer to five percent of the batters he faced. Since joining the Giants, Petit has refined his command and control, improving both the walk and home-run rates. He has only walked 5.5% of his batters, while the home-run rate is down to a perfectly-useful 2.4% (or 0.8 HR/9) in 170 innings. He logged 117 of those innings in 2014 as a swingman, but be careful if he winds up with a starter’s role to open 2015. He had a 5.03 ERA in 68 innings, allowing 11 homers, while posting just a 1.84 ERA out of the bullpen with one homer allowed in 49 innings.

Petit spent most of the 2013 season in Triple-A after losing the spring training battle for the long reliever spot to Chad Gaudin. He did eventually get an opportunity to start for the injury-riddled Giants' rotation in late July, narrowly missing a perfect game while posting career-best marks in ERA (3.56) and K/9 (8.8) in eight starts. Petit has always exhibited great control, but his inability to keep the ball in the yard has been the bane of his success prior to the 2013 season. So it was no surprise that he put up career numbers after posting a HR/FB ratio (6.7%) that was less than half of his career average. The Giants' signings of Tim Hudson, Tim Lincecum, and Ryan Vogelsong ensure that Petit will not start 2014 in the rotation, but he will definitely be the first man up should any of their starters go down with an injury.

Petit spent most of 2013 in Triple-A compiling a strong 3.42 ERA, 3.12 FIP and 8.3 K/9 in 166.2 innings. His strength continues to be his superior control (1.9 BB/9), and the Giants purchased his contract toward the end of September to make a spot start after the division was clinched. His flyball tendencies, (career 31.8 percent flyball rate), kept him from being a successful starter with Arizona from 2006-2009 and will likely be a sticking point that will prevent him from logging major league innings. Petit will continue to be rotation insurance in Triple-A for 2013.

The long ball continues to be Petit's downfall, as he gave up 23 homers in 105.1 innings between Triple-A Reno and Arizona. The Mariners claimed him off waivers in November, which should help his chances of being a viable option in the back of the rotation given a couple of key factors. First, Seattle's Safeco Field is the third-toughest park in the American League for home-run hitters. Second, Petit should benefit from the elite defense of Jack Wilson at shortstop, after he was victimized by an inflated number of groundball hits with the D-Backs last season. Petit misses enough bats (7.43 K/9IP) to be a useful fantasy option, provided that he's able to improve his shaky command (3.41 BB/9IP). You could do worse than taking a chance on the 25-year-old in the endgame.

Since floundering on the fast track to the majors in Florida, Petit has made strides in Arizona, turning the corner as a 23-year-old in 2008. While spending most of the first half of the season at Triple-A Tucson, Petit had an impressive strikeout rate (10.05 K/9IP) and improved command (8.38 K/BB), before the D-Backs needed help in their rotation. He cruised through July and August with a 32:6 K:BB ratio and 2.48 ERA in nine appearances -- including six starts -- before imploding and being replaced by Max Scherzer in September (.350 BAA, 12.46 ERA). If Petit is going to sustain success in the majors, he'll need to keep the ball in the yard as home runs (31 allowed) have been his downfall through 139.2 big league innings. Petit should open 2009 as the D-Backs' long reliever, with an opportunity to compete for the fifth starter's job during spring training.

For the second straight season, Petit's strikeout rate dropped at Triple-A (5.77 K/9IP), but he managed to pitch well enough in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League to make 10 starts for Arizona. The D-Backs will have the luxury of keeping him at Triple-A if they're still planning on developing him in the pipeline as a starter. Unless an injury opens up an opportunity for Petit to earn a spot in the back of the rotation out of spring training, look for him to start at Tucson and be among the early callup candidates should Arizona need another arm for the rotation.

Petit held his own in 2006 in a tough environment for pitchers (Triple-A Albuquerque), but his ultra-deceptive delivery and good-enough stuff have one last test to pass in the majors before he'll justify his top prospect status. The steep drop in his K rate at Albuquerque is a concern, however. He's still young, and the Marlins have no need to rush him given all the other young arms they have, so unless he has a breakout spring training expect him to spend at least a few more months in the desert.

Petit, who was the Mets' top prospect, was dealt to Florida in the Carlos Delgado trade. Last year, he blew through Double-A Binghamton to earn three starts at Triple-A Norfolk, where he struggled before tossing a dominant effort in the playoffs. His stuff is considered, at best, slightly above average, but he has tremendous movement and the ability to hide the ball well on his fastball, even though it tops out at 88-90 mph. His solid changeup, slider and curveball have been more effective against righties and he struggled against lefties in 2005. Some of the concerns are his weight (at 6-0, he's 230 lbs.) and how well he'll be able to deceive hitters as he advances up the ladder, though he allayed some of that concern last season. With the Marlins in a rebuilding mode, Petit should be able to make it up to the majors by mid-2006 and projects to be a second or third starter. Some scouts have compared him to Rick Reed in his ability without dominant stuff.

Petit blew through the Mets organization in 2004, reaching Double-A, and now is considered the team's No. 1 pitching prospect. While he doesn’t throw ultra-fast yet, he does have a low-90s fastball that looks faster because of his deceptive delivery and could increase in velocity as his body matures. He also uses a developing changeup, decent curve and slider. What makes him extremely effective is that he throws all these pitches for strikes and has the confidence to throw each in a critical situation. He'll start the year in Double-A, and if he progresses in 2005 like he did last year, he could see Shea Stadium early in 2006.